Kirsten B. Mitchell

Kirsten B. Mitchell has made two careers out of cultivating curiosity and asking questions — first as a journalist and now as an advocate for freedom of information and public access. Kirsten leads FOIA compliance efforts at the federal FOIA Ombuds office — the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at the National Archives — and manages the federal FOIA Advisory Committee as its Designated Federal Officer. Kirsten’s work has spanned both of OGIS’s statutory functions — providing mediation services and reviewing FOIA policies, procedures and compliance. She built OGIS’s compliance program from the ground up, focusing on identifying broad systemic issues ripe for attention and advocating for a better FOIA process for all.

A longtime journalist before joining government service, Kirsten spent the bulk of her journalism career in North Carolina and Washington, D.C., at New York Times-owned regional newspapers and later at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the Sunshine in Government Initiative. As a journalist, Kirsten frequently used state and federal records as well as database analysis to shine a light on how government operates. Kirsten served on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Access Professionals (ASAP) for eight years, including as president (2019-2020), and as a fellow in the Excellence in Government leadership program at the Partnership for Public Service (2017-2018). In her free time, Kirsten serves on the board of the D.C. Open Government Coalition.

Kirsten is an alumna of Mary Washington College and American University where she earned her B.A. in English and her M.A. in journalism and public affairs, respectively. She holds a certificate in mediation from NVMS Conflict Resolution Center, an affiliate of George Mason University’s School for Peace and Conflict Resolution.